Halo:Chronicles of Silver Squad
by Johnnieboy11
Summary: Follow the tale of the enigmatic five-Spartan Silver Squad, formed at the start of Project SPARTAN-II under Doctor Halsey's direct orders. From the first days of training, to Contact Harvest and finally, the Human-Covenant war's length, these Spartans will see it all alongside Blue Team and may well change the course of the War.
1. Recovery

_**1200 Hours September 21, 2517 (Military Calendar)/Phi Daedris System, New Eden capital, town square, New Eden.**_

The capital of the small agricultural colony of New Eden had a towering skyline, with dozens of skyscrapers and buildings tall and small raising into the sky around her. One young woman sat in the square, wearing a pink chifon dress and a very ornate pink hat. Her blue eyes were locked onto the playground of the _Sleeping Willow_ orphanage ahead, a bright, clean structure with marble steps and a fountain in front of the main sliding doors.

Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, the youngest research officer ever brought into the fold of the UNSC and, more specifically, the Office of Naval Intelligence, ONI for short, stared calmly from a distance at a group of three kids. Two, a girl and a boy, were playing together, while the third, the last boy, kept his eyes on them. The three were orphaned, apparently, as they almost always were on the outside of the ONI-owned Orphanage here on New Eden. This place was mainly used as a cover to test children for Halsey's top-secret Special Operations unit, the Project:ORION-II.

So far, she was not impressed... But these three kids, they were... Different.

The black-haired woman known as Halsey, she herself wasn't getting any younger, despite what the pink dress, the strange hat and her age may say, she'd only age on from here. Her gaze locked upon the trio of kids once more and she sighed, before hearing footsteps behind her. She looked back, to see the young Lieutenant Keyes approaching the bench. The man sat down beside her and shook his head. "Those the kids we're recovering today?" He then asked sarcastically. Halsey nodded and said "Always condescending, Lieutenant... These three are different. More so than most we've recovered. Similar to John, even..."

"At least the Flash Clones are a thing you didn't have to bother with for them..." He joked, holding a bottle of orange liquid, presumably a soda, in his right hand. "What do I tell the people at the reception? I want to adopt those three?"

Halsey nodded and said "It should work."

The man sighed, then nodded, stood up and said "Let's get this over with..." before walking toward them. Halsey watched as the man spoke to the children, a smile on his face. The young doctor sighed, looking at them as thoughts ran into her head. A lot of kids they've gathered. Out of all of them, these last few are... Special... The first of them, Adrian, the one sitting on the side, spoke of his past life to some ONI officers a month ago. It was almost scarily accurate to a 17-year-old that died in 2017, right at the end of the 21st Century's 2nd Decade. The Army of a state back then had records of the boy saying he wanted to enroll within the next year, 2018... He died suddenly just after placing the paperwork. This young boy knew everything and spoke of it in high detail... He didn't say a word since.

"Just _what_ are you?" She muttered to herself, eyeing the child, Adrian. He had black hair, auburn eyes and sickly pale skin. He looked distraught as he stared at his two friends play, at least until Keyes walked up to them. Showing no emotion, the boy had stood up and gathered with the others around Keyes. He simply stared, listening to him and nodded when spoken to. He seemed distraught...

The doctor watched Keyes walk inside the massive, clean orphanage building with the kids, her eyes locked onto the boy-girl couple as she remembered their names. David Larsson and his close friend, Nelly Blom. The two had known each-other for their entire lives and both were of Swedish descent(Fact obvious by their names). David was a fair young boy, with light skin, brownish-green eyes and blonde hair, while Nelly had rose-red hair and bright blue eyes. Both of them were smiling and clearly excited as they walked in... Halsey finally locked gazes with Adrian.

The young man stared at her from away with a condescending, strangely dark look in his eyes. A chill shot up Halsey's spine... Not an ounce of humanity was left in the boy. She could just tell from his ice-cold glare, his unflinching, straight posture and the eerie silence, he was a malevolent force to some extent... She just felt it. She just absolutely felt it from the way the young man stared at her... He sighed, then went about and entered the building and at this point, Halsey had finally noticed she was holding her breath. Exhaling, the woman placed a hand on her forehead and wiped some sweat away.

She stood up, then placed her com bead into her ear and spoke "This is team one... We're a-go for extraction..." before walking toward the Orphanage to meet the Lieutenant halfway, as a van approached from behind. She'd have to talk to the trio in private aboard the ship, until they got to Reach. She sighed, then heard the van stop behind her as the four walked out.

* * *

 _ **2300 Hours September 23, 2517 (Military Calendar)/Epsilon Eridani System, Reach Military Complex, planet Reach**_

The amphitheater was a large room with a vaulted ceiling, all of it made of the tough Titanium-A plating that held as the standard armor against all weapons of their foes. Halsey, now wearing a turtleneck, tight jeans and work shoes, as well as a labcoat to top it all off, ran over her thoughts as she looked at holoscreens of each of the 75 candidates' she'd selected. She sighed, then looked to the ghostly figure of a blue hologram, clad in a ceremonial gown and with a laurel wreath holding her black hair in a bun. "Déjà'... On second thought, don't save that last diary file... And please summon Chief Petty Officer Mendez. I'd like for both of you to be present when I address them." She said as she heard boots clanking onto the floor.

Looking ahead, she saw the kids, led by a man in a black dress uniform, chest riddled with campaigns ribbons and stars and medals on the left side, with the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer etched onto the shoulders and on his collar. A grizzled veteran that had seen action against the Insurgents many times before, CPO Franklin Mendez walked on-deck, with the kids closely following him. From the idle chatter, a great many of them seemed confused, worried even.

Mendez mounted the steps of the platform and then stood at ease next to her.

"You have read my psychological evaluations?" Déjà asked Dr. Halsey, part of her voice sounding of concern, despite Halsey's belief an AI couldn't show many emotions. Halsey nodded, then said "Yes. They were quite thorough, thank you." staring at each kid individually as they walked up the amphitheater's outer concentric semi-circles of benches and found themselves seats.

 _"And?"_ Déjà pressed on, looking at the Doctor. The woman rolled her eyes, then said "I am forgoing your recommendations, Déjà. I'm going to tell them the _truth_." sternly. The AI gazed upon her master, then cautioned "The truth has its risks..." to which Halsey simply replied simply "So do lies. Any story fabricated to motivate the children-Telling them that their parents were abducted by pirates, killed or wasted away by planet-wide plagues-would backfire. If they found out the truth, they'd later turn against us... No, the _truth_ is the only option."

"It is a legitimate concern," conceded Déjà with a deep sigh, similar to a humans. "May I suggest selective neural paralysis? It produces a targeted amnesia-"

"An amnesia that may spread to other parts of their brains. No, Déjà, I've already made up my mind." Halsey promptly returned. Déjà nodded, then said "Very well, doctor..." Before backing off and letting Halsey speak. The children had circles of fatigue around their eyes. They had all been collected, rushed here through Slipstream space, and only recently brought out of cryo sleep. The shock of their ordeal must be hitting them hard, Halsey realized. She stifled a pang of regret. The woman inhaled, then took a small step forward, hands behind her back and spoke stiffly "As per Naval Code 45812, you are hereby conscripted into the UNSC Special Project, codenamed SPARTAN-II."

The words stuck in her windpipe... She looked at the children, each now with a handler beside him or her, a Navy officer clad in camouflage fatigues, each child with a stare of shock and awe. She'd have to make this as simple as possible, so they could understand. Hell, _she_ barely understood what possessed her to create the Project in the first place... She sighed, then shook her head. It was all for the greater good, for humanity... Then, continuing, making it as simple for them to understand "You have been called upon to serve," she explained. "You will be trained... and you will become the best we can make of you. You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies."

A handful of the children sat up straighter, no longer entirely frightened, but now interested. Dr. Halsey spotted John, subject Number 117, the first boy she had confirmed as a viable candidate. He wrinkled his forehead, confused, but he listened with rapt attention. Her eyes then locked upon Adrian, David and Nelly, numbers 025, 017 and 081. Adrian seemed calm as he stared at Halsey, arms crossed. David and Nelly weren't far behind, clearly enthused by the prospect. Halsey sighed, then continued "This... May be hard to understand to some, to others it may be easier, but... After this, you will not be able to return to your parents..."

Most of the room stood silent. Those who still had parents stared at Halsey indignantly. The woman stood stern, firm on the outside, but slowly weakening on the inside. She nodded, then continued with as soothing a voice as she could muster "This place will become your home... Your fellow trainees will be your family from now onward. The training will be difficult. There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead, but I know you will _all_ make it."

Patriotic words... Too bad they rang hollow in her head. She looked to Mendez, nodded and said "Get the children..." She bit her lip, then continued "Get the candidates to the barracks. Feed them and send them to bed... Make sure to keep their heads off of what we've just done to them." And with that, she walked off. Mendez looked at everyone, then sighed and yelled "Get everyone moving! To the Barracks!"

* * *

Adrian felt a sudden strike and suddenly, his entire body jolted up. Pain was a foreign subject to him by now, but still, the shock made his entire skin feel like needles pricked at it. He opened his eyes in a snap and looked up, to see a man with jet-black hair that was greying on the sides, his green eyes staring at him with inhumane hatred? A wish for the boy to die? Nah. He was probably just being like their Gym teacher... Except with a cattle prod. The strange silver device off in the man's right hand sparked with electricity, making Adrian snap up to his feet and off his little cot.

"Well, I'll be damned, Trainee!" Yelled the man with a gruff voice, his breath stinking of cigarettes. "You got up faster than the other two of your gang! Mendez' orders, get your ass to the showers, wash, get here and gear up! MOVE!"

He rushed through, following the stampede of 75 kids silently, his friends beside him. David looked at him and asked "You okay, dude? You look like you're stumbling." to which Adrian gave his friend a nod. Nelly smiled, then said "He's taken worse, David. I think he'll be able to walk off a small shock."

"Guess you're right." David nodded, then he looked to their friend. The Trio quickly jumped into the showers, washed via a lukewarm jet of soapy water, topped off by a freezing jet of cold water to awaken them, swiveled about and then rushed for their beds. Each one of them had training gear(A Tank-top with their number and name on it, green sweatpants, white socks and combat boots, each fitted to the kid in question).

The words screamed by Mendez made everyone jumped "Trainees! Training starts now, outside! Triple time... _MARCH!"_

Going outside, the team saw the light barely come. The sun hadn't even risen and the sky was a strange shade of indigo. The boys and girl breathed in the cold air and began to finally awaken. The grass was wet with dew. There were dozens of rows of barracks, but no one else was up and outside. A pair of jets roared overhead and arced up into the sky. Far away, John heard a metallic crackle.

Chief Petty Officer Mendez barked, "You will make five equal-length rows. Fifteen trainees in each." He waited a few seconds as they milled about. "Straighten those rows. You know how to count to fifteen, trainee? Take three steps back." And the trio lined up into the third row. Adrian looked toward 117. John. Behind him was Kelly. 087. Not much of a fan of his from the looks of things. Mendez barked again, sternly "JUMPING JACKS, GO!" and one kid refused. His instructor was quick to the draw, hitting him with the cattle prod. He doubled over and "Get with the program, boot," the trainer snarled. The boy uncurled and started jumping.

Jumping Jacks. Classic military exercise. Not to say the boy's arms didn't feel like they were about to fall off, his legs about to break from under him and his abdomen was burning with pain. He looked to Dave and Nelly, both of whom were basically flowing rivers of sweat. The boy himself was sweating profusely after such a long length of exercises.

"Ninety-eight-99-100." Mendez paused. He drew in a deep breath. "Sit-ups!" He dropped onto the grass. "Count off to one hundred. No slacking."

Everything burned... God damn it, did it burn... Their bodies were nearly broken... Everyone panted as they stopped in the final exercise. Oh shit...

"A good start, trainees," Mendez told them. "Now we run. On your feet!" The trainers brandished their batons and herded the trainees along. They jogged down a gravel path through the compound, past more cinderblock barracks. The run seemed to go on forever—they ran alongside a river, over a bridge, then by the edge of a runway where jets took off straight into the air.

They ran into a courtyard of smooth flagstones. A pole in the center flew the colors of the UNSC, a blue field with stars and Earth in the corner. At the far end of the yard was a building with a scalloped dome and white columns and dozens of wide steps leading to the entrance. The words NAVAL OFFICERS ACADEMY were chiseled into the arch over the entrance.

A woman stood on the top step and beckoned to them. She wore a white sheet wrapped around her body. She looked old to John, yet young at the same time. Then he saw the motes of light orbiting her head and knew she was an AI. He had seen them on vids. She wasn't solid, but she was still real. "Excellent work, Chief Petty Officer Mendez," she said in a resonant, silk-smooth voice. She turned to the children. "Welcome. My name is Déjà and I will be your teacher. Please come in. Class is about to start."

A few kids grumbled at the noise. Adrian was just happy to leave PT behind. He always hated it. David patted him on the back, then coughed and said in a raspy voice "Let's go. Better than sitting around like idiots waiting to die." and he looked to Nelly, taking her by the hand. Adrian panted, then nodded and wiped the sweat off his brow and walked inside. Trays of milk and crackers awaited every one of the 75 kids inside... Adrian felt only good to eat something and drink.

"Well... This is certainly better than before." Nelly smiled radiantly. She struggled to chew down on the food and gulped down on the milk quickly, refreshing herself. The boys followed suit. A holographic countryside appeared in the classroom. The children walked around the miniature mountains and hills and let the edge of the illusionary sea lap at their boots. Toy-sized soldiers marched toward what Déjà explained was Thermopylae, a narrow strip of land between steep mountains and the sea. Thousands of soldiers marched toward the three hundred who guarded the pass. The soldiers fought: spears and shields splintered, swords flashed and spilled blood. Déjà explained that the three hundred were Spartans and they were the best soldiers who had ever lived. They had been trained to fight since they were children. No one could beat them.

Most kids cheered as they saw the broken Persian army retreat. "That's all for today," Déjà said. "We'll continue tomorrow and I'll show you some wolves. Now it's time for you to go to the playground." "Playground?" John said. That was perfect. He could finally just sit on a swing, relax, and think for a moment... He ran out of the room, as did the other trainees. Chief Petty Officer Mendez and the trainers waited for them outside the classroom. "Time for the playground," Mendez said, and waved the children closer.

"It's a short run. Fall in."


	2. Reach

_**The 'Playground'.**_

The run was... Terrible... And the playground was like nothing the kids had ever seen. It was a forest of twenty-meter tall wooden poles. Rope cargo nets and bridges stretched between the poles; they swayed, crossed and crisscrossed one another, a maze suspended in the air. There were slide poles and knotted climbing ropes. There were swings and suspended platforms. There were ropes looped through pulleys and tied to baskets that looked sturdy enough to hoist a person.

Adrian looked behind him, to see two girls behind him and his friends. One was a blonde with hair cut to regulation and just barely reaching her chin, whilst the latter had her slightly longer, wavy, platinum-blonde hair caught in a ponytail. The former's blue eyes were locked on her friend behind her, while the other one's amber eyes seemed to be gazing straight to... Him. He looked back ahead as Mendez appeared in front of him(He was leading the line, of course) then he started explaining "What you see before you, Cadets, is the playground. The rules here are simple:You and your team have to make it to the end of the course. The last team to do so will _NOT_ be eating dinner!"

Several kids protested. Adrian was unfazed and Dave and Nelly could see it all too well. His stern look never once faded from his face. He was far too damn serious for a kid his age, but... Well, that was their life now. They were in the Army. Nelly looked to David, then spoke in a hushed whisper "He seems really serious about this..." to which Dave simply nodded and said "You know it's how he usually is. Don't worry, though..." He smiled reassuringly toward the girl "I'm sure he's got our back just like we got his."

Mendez looked at everyone, then nodded and said "Get ready! SET!"

Adrian patted Nelly and Dave on their shoulders, then gave a thumbs up. They nodded back and took their running stance... And finally, Mendez yelled "GO!" to which the first kids burst into a sprint. Climbing the first Pole, Adrian started helping his friends up and quickening their pace. As both Dave and Nelly were ahead of him, he started climbing in leaps behind them, before looking back to see the two girls from before struggling, one of them having caught a splinter from the wooden ladder. He rolled his eyes, dropped a few steps and yanked both of them up by their wrists. He pulled out the Splinter from the pale one, then showed them to rush ahead.

"Thanks!" The two nodded to him, then pushed themselves up with his help. He followed them to the top of a platform on one of the poles, then he, Dave, Nelly and the two started rushing through, across one of the many rope bridges, even as they swayed. The blonde, blue-eyed one nearly lost balance and fell, but Adrian kept her up. Down bellow and up above them, several more kids rushed ahead, specifically one being John, or 117 as his number tagged him. He was running alone... Must be a competitive kid, so Adrian thought.

"C'mon!" David said, waving the girls forward "If Adrian got you girls into the group, means you probably know your stuff, so let's go!"

The two nodded as they moved up close behind Nelly and across one of the cargo nets, before climbing down a rope toward one of the lower levels. Coming in behind the group was a new team of 3. Two boys and a girl, this one a redhead. Adrian nodded to them, then slid the last down the climbing rope, slightly burning his hands and peeling skin off, before joining his four team-mates again. Finally, the five went down a slide pole, before running right across a bridge.

The blonde slipped again, but this time badly, forcing Adrian to turn back, waving the rest of the team forward while he helped the girl up. She looked at him with awe as the young boy simply nodded and helped her up. She tried to walk, but squeaked. Looking down, Adrian saw her leg was swollen... Wounded... He threw her arm over his shoulder, then hoisted her up and started moving with her, despite the rocking bridge. One step at a time, the boy carried the girl out of harm's way and the two hobbled back toward the finish line together.

Looking ahead as they went down the last slide pole, Adrian saw his team was already waiting for them there. The pale girl ran up to help him carry the blondie and the trio finished together... Looking to his left, he saw John had come up first... But he left out the most IMPORTANT part of Mendez' message. Being a _team._ They watched a blonde boy climb last and ring the bell after the teams had arrived, then he looked to John and said "Thanks for nothing!" in an angered tone, before delivering a punch to John's left cheek, knocking him to the floor.

Mendez placed a boot on John's chest, then said "Well done, trainees! Everyone eats! Except 117's team." to which John demanded "But how? I won!"

"You got here first and you alone may've 'won'... But your squad lost. Without your team, you aren't anything. Your team loses, YOU lose. Head for dinner! Dismissed!" And with that, he walked away. The team watched John get spat on and beat... Adrian sighed, then watched as the others walked away, before going to John and helping him up. 117 looked to Adrian, then said "T-Thanks... But why?" to which Adrian shrugged, then pointed at John's teammates, nodded and walked away.

John stared at the boy walk away with slight awe, before he nodded, then clenched his fist and followed out of the playground.

* * *

 ** _Mess Hall_**

The two girls Adrian helped chose to sit with the trio of orphan friends as they all ate dinner. The two were eating peacefully, whilst Adrian surveyed the entire room. All kids were eating and such. One of the girls tapped Adrian on his hand. Looking to the right, he was greeted by the blonde one's smile and puffed cheeks. He nodded, then spun a finger 'round his mouth. The girl understood the signal, nodded and swallowed the food, without even chewing, before she exhaled, then extended her hand and said "I'm Daisy. Thanks for the help."

Adrian nodded and shook her hand, then looked away. Daisy scratched her head, confused, then looked to Nelly and Dave and asked "What's with him?"

"Adrian doesn't really speak." Nelly responded. "Hasn't spoken since we met him."

Dave shrugged and said "Yeah. Boy of few words... I'm David and this is Nelly, by the way. You can call me Dave." and he smiled at the girls. Daisy smiled back, then nodded and pointed at the pale one "She's Cal. Same as Adrian, I guess. She never spoke much either when we first met." to which Cal sighed and said "Daisy..." in a muttered whisper, then she rubbed her forehead.

"Well, glad to meet you both, girls." Nelly smiled. Adrian pointed to the left, to Blue Team's table, only to see John approaching them. From afar, Adrian could hear little, but seeing the three angry kids looking at him lessen their dagger-like glares, only for John to throw some crackers onto the table, he could only help but sigh, then nod his approval and stand up, his tray in hand and walk toward the kids who had no access to the Turkey due to their commander-in-chief failing them right at the start.

David sighed, then said "He's being the nice guy again..." before looking to Nelly and asking "Do we follow him?"

"Sure..." The girl shrugged, then she stood up and looked to Daisy "By the way, how's your leg?"

"Much better, thanks!" The girl nodded, smiling. She turned back to her food, every once in a while eyeing the trio that had walked toward the table of Blue Team... John gasped, looking back as he saw Adrian walking up to them, with Dave and Nells close behind. As he got close to the table, he placed the food tray onto it, then slid it toward Fred, one of John's three team-mates. The boy looked up, then locked eyes with Adrian, before asking "Why?"

Adrian pointed at John, who stared in awe at the young Spartan cadet. Nelly and Dave exchanged a quick glance and smiled, then Dave said "Yep. This was all 117." as he slid his own tray of turkey across the table toward a blue-haired girl. 087 or Kelly. Nelly gave hers to 034. Sam. The trio looked to John, then Kelly smiled and nodded before saying "Thanks, John! I don't know how you did it, but you got us dinner! And nice way of easing it in, with bringing the stale crackers beforehand."

"Yeah, thanks." Sam nodded, raising his fork and smiling as well. Adrian looked to John, then placed a hand on his newly-acquired friend's shoulder and started walking away, followed by Nelly and David. John sighed, then nodded and said "No problem, guys... So, friends?" to which the others nodded and answered "Friends!" just as John sat down.

Daisy and Cal looked over at Adrian, Dave and Nelly as they joined the two girls back at the table, 'fore Daisy butted in and said "That was really cool. Why'd'ya do that?" to which Adrian simply shrugged. David and Nelly sat down too, then the former answered "It's just his way of being. He was usually this righteous hero on the playground, fighting against the bigger bully kids even if it meant he got a black eye to defend his younger and less powerful compatriots... That included us at one point, believe it or not."

"The two biggest bullies in the orphanage got up to us and Dave stood up to them too, but soon found he needed a bit of help. Adrian joined in quickly and the two knocked'em down a few pegs." Nelly smiled. David nodded, then finished "We've been friends ever since." with a smirk. Cal looked to Adrian, then smiled and nodded, to which the boy simply nodded back... If the three talkative members of the team didn't know any better, they'd have said the two were communicating telepathically. Every single nod meant something between the two, apparently.

"So, you guys are the same team?" Daisy inquired, looking at them. All 3 nodded. She smirked, then asked bluntly "What're the chances we'll get called in too?"

"Probably high." Nelly nodded. "It'd be great to have you gals here. Finally I'd be in a group in which girls outnumber boys." and the three girls laughed. Adrian rolled his eyes, then shook his head, smiling. Dave looked to the girls, then said "Alright, you two. I've got a feeling tomorrow may be a long day all over again, so let's hurry up, finish eating and prep for bed."

Doctor Halsey watched from atop a walkway with one-way mirrors as the kids had interacted. Just as she'd predicted since observing Adrian and the others. They'd interacted just as expected... Blue team and Silver team alike... Looking to her left, she saw Déjà, then she gazed down upon the five eating together and said "Déjà, arrange for Spartans 025, 017 and 081 with 141 and 023... Form team 2, callsign:SILVER. And note their interaction with the others."

"Of course, doctor. Knew you would agree to this." Déjà smiled. Halsey looked over the files of each Spartan, then said "Thank you, Déjà.. Let's return to more pressing matters. Specifically, MJOLNIR." and Déjà nodded, then responded "Of course, doctor... Lead the way, please." just as Halsey took off toward her lab. Her thoughts were locked onto the MJOLNIR and Cognitive Impression Modelling... Both very important... And both vital for the Spartans to succeed.


	3. Amazing Grace, How Sweet, Thy Sound

**_Seven years later_**

Years of training. Seven whole years of their childhoods, the kids were moved, tasked, trained, chiseled, their minds trained, indoctrinated, reformed... And bettered. Now came the worst trial the kids would have to face. The Modifications. Lined neatly, some seventy-five fourteen-year-olds marched in five rows, clad in nothing but boxers and basic sportswear. Ahead of them lay a large steel door behind which resided the OR, where all of them would get their final physical attributes. Adrian stared ahead, at the door which was stamped with the UNSC's Eagle, with calm. Across the five rows, on the same column as him, were his teammates.

Team SILVER had been tested separately from most Spartans, even up to this point. Shooting courses to perfect sniping skills, Special Counter-Terrorism ops, investigative work, training into the Ancient Forerunner ruins and every symbol being translated. They'd received new orders should they, (he hated the word Halsey used), _survive_ the procedures. Looking to his left, he saw Nelly and Dave, both of them smiling proudly as they exchanged a few whispered words. To his right were Cal and finally, Daisy. The young Spartan looked to Cal, who seemingly trembled.

He poked the white-haired, amber-eyed girl in the shoulder. She turned to him, a bit surprised. She tilted her head in confusion, before Adrian sighed, smiled and indicated with his index at his own hair. Cal's was a bit too long. She gasped, blushing, then took out a hairpiece she'd hidden to tie it into a bun behind her head. She then turned to him again and nodded. The Spartan candidate nodded, then smiled warmly at the silent girl. She returned the smile with a blush, twirling a bit of the hair that was apparently left out around her finger.

He sighed silently, then saw the door before them opened. The first five stepped in. Then the next. And the next. Finally, the boy and his friends took the stage. They looked to each-other, then nodded and all went for separate ORs. Adrian walked into his, where two doctors and a specialized machinery set waited for him. An operating table made of cold steel awaited him as well... He climbed onto it, laid himself back and placed his hands on the supports, to which the doctors tied him down. The hum of machines from the other Operating Rooms sounded off... And finally his turned on as well, muffling all other noise.

"Please, try to relax..." A doctor said, placing an oxygen mask probably laced with anesthetics on the boy's face. He sighed, closed his eyes and let everything go on. Keeping his eyes shut, he felt pain suddenly lance into his entire body... Needles pricked at his skin and what sounded like drills stabbed into his skull with all the force of a bullet. The pain was horrific. It felt like his bones were being broken and re-fused inside him... Like glass shattered into his bone marrow. He gritted his teeth and began to shake uncontrollably... Then heard a hiss from the mask. His bout of shivers calmed down, but sweat continued to flow. He groaned as he felt stabbing in his leg area and near the chest.

... He could swear he'd just heard Dave and Nelly both cry out in pain... He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as all the more happened to him. What seemed like a rusted knife stabbed into his chest. A pain the likes of which he'd never felt spread into his entire body. He bit down on it, struggling to stay calm, then said to himself he'd experienced much worse, as did his friends.

The final surge of pain made him numb for the next two minutes... Before he finally passed out from the pain...

Hours later, the young man breathed in deeply, feeling the numbing pain in his chest once more. He coughed hoarsely, straightening up on a comfortable bed and started to breathe normally. He looked at himself... His muscular structure hurt throughout the body, but felt... Stronger. His bones still vibrated with pain, but felt almost indestructible at this point and finally, his wrists... God, his wrists! He had the markings of the OR's work on him. Scars covered everything from his palms to his neck and he now noticed he wore a bandage cover over his head, much like that of a mummy's. He quickly unwrapped it from over his head and threw it aside, then took a mirror that was conveniently placed on the side table beside him and looked to himself...

Few wounds were on his face. The two drill holes in his temple were sutured and healed already into neat scars. As his breathing calmed, the boy leaned forward, to see himself in nothing but his training shorts still. He placed the mirror onto the table, then looked ahead, to see Halsey approaching with a sad smile on her face. He nodded to her, awaiting suspensefully for news of his friends.

"Good to see you're awake, Adrian. Team SILVER has survived the procedures, as expected." She said reassuringly, but with a hint of sadness still ever-present in her voice. Adrian nodded to her, then gave her a hand signal through which he communicated. It translated to: _The others?_ making Halsey let out a sigh. She told him sadly "However... 30 of the other Spartan Candidates did not survive... And 12 are permanently crippled."

Adrian was soon washed over with guilt... 42 of them didn't make it? He looked to her, sadness evident in his gaze, before she nodded and said "They will be remembered, Adrian... We will hold a ceremony once everyone awakes... Take your uniform and go meet the rest of SILVER in the Mess Hall. I've already talked to them." and with that, she left for the others.

Dammit... So that's what she meant by _survive..._

He knew there were gonna be washouts. But still, it hurt. Bad. It felt like a knife twisted into his gut. He let out a deep, long sigh of defeat, before standing up and taking his Navy uniform, which now had stapled on its shoulders and collar the rank of Petty Officer, First Class, put it all on, buttoned it up and walked out of the place, stumbling every two steps as he got used to his body. He felt his stomach grumble, signs of hunger. Of course, he hadn't eaten anything prior to the Surgery, as per mandate of EVERY NORMAL HOSPITAL EVER.

Walking into the Mess Hall, he saw them. All of SILVER were leaning and eating. Daisy and Cal had saved a spot between them for him... But he felt the gloom in each of their stares and movements. Sighing, he walked up to them, then waved. Dave and Nelly were the first to turn and greet him, their facial expressions instantly changing from Gloom and Doom to smiles.

"Adrian, you're alive!" Dave smirked... At least Adrian thought that was Dave. His voice was thicker, more gruff. "Halsey was deliberately vague about you surviving your surgery... Had us worried." to which Adrian nodded and smiled, then sat down between Cal and Daisy, both of which nodded to him. Daisy then told him as she dug into her food "You really had us worried, Chief."

"Daisy hasn't stopped eating since she heard you didn't wake up... This is her fifth tray." Nelly noted, looking at her own tray. Mashed potatoes with steak and gravy. And it didn't look like shit. Command was treating them today. Them or Halsey. Cal chuckled, then nodded and said "True." in a silky smooth voice. Dave looked to all of them and said "I think after we're done eating, there's gonna be that burial service for our dead..."

Adrian nodded, before looking at his own tray, which somehow still had warm food on it. He started digging in with incredible ferocity, to which Cal and Daisy both giggled. Daisy looked to Nelly and David and asked them "He always been a glutton?"

The two laughed heartily, then nodded and said "Yup. Since we knew him."

"Jesus. I mean, we've been in a team for seven years and I never once saw him eat more than one portion... Or eat like this." Daisy said through chuckles as she watched the boy nearly shove his face into the tray.

"Guess you two match in something, Daisy." Cal noted, then took a bit of food. Daisy's right brow quirked up as she gazed upon her long-time friend and asked "What's that supposed to mean, Cal?"

"Oh, nothing." The white-haired girl grinned mischievously, playing with her hair which was uncharacteristically long. David and Nelly planted palms on their faces in sync. Adrian and Daisy looked to each-other in confusion, then shrugged it off, diving into their food once more. Cal once again chuckled, then said to Nelly and David "I've heard of some implants that failed... You too?"

"On us? Yeah... Or that weren't even put in. Some Thyroid Gland Implant meant to suppress certain hormones... Any idea?" David looked to Nelly, who shrugged and said "Your guesses are as good as mine. The Thyroid Gland released the growth hormone in general and several other ones. I'm not sure what the docs were trying to diminish, but I'm sure it's nothing major if we haven't been called in for surgery again."

"Knowing the good doctor..." Cal nodded.

Adrian straightened up from his tray and soon saw team BLUE walking in. He smirked, then showed everyone to wait and approached them. Kelly and Sam almost immediately smirked, seeing the approaching friend and Sam hit John on the shoulder and took his attention toward his friend. John crossed his arms and smiled, then said "Adrian. Good to see you alive, man." before extending his hand. Adrian nodded and gripped it firmly, then the two shook.

"How're you guys taking the news of the losses?" Kelly asked sadly, looking at the others, who waved at them. She waved back. Adrian shrugged, then gave a hand signal. _Comme-Ci, Comme-Ca._ So and so. John nodded and said "Yeah... Same here. Mind if we sit with you guys?"

Adrian shook his head, then showed them to follow him to the buffet to grab their trays of food. BLUE and SILVER had always been best of friends in almost all situations. Training usually saw them working together more than usual. All thanks to that first dinner between the Spartans. John and Adrian knew each-other about as well as Nelly and Dave knew him at this point, as they knew the rest of Blue. Fred, Sam and Kelly had become Silver's go-to aside from Kurt when they needed help with something. It applied the other way around too, with the Blues needing help and receiving it.

It was almost as if they were one big platoon. Heh...

As the teams sat down, Kelly and Nelly high-fived, then started talking their own things with Daisy and Cal, while Fred, Sam and Dave spoke and Adrian talked through signs with them, sometimes letting out silent laughs. The few minutes that the interaction between the teams lasted were then put in perspective by the Funeral that was about to take place. On the Main Deck of the UNSC ship they were on, Chief Petty Officer Mendez stood in front of the procession. The surviving Spartans and the Washouts were all lined up neatly, silent, hands behind their backs, backs straight and heads bowed.

Inside of 30 casket pods covered by UNSC Marine Corps flags of red and gold, ready to be jettisoned into space, were 30 Spartans, comrades of the ones still alive and standing today, children barely 14 years of age, dead not by enemy fire, but rather by miscalculation in the Surgeries. A sadly acceptable risk for all Spartans. The silence that hung in the air weighed heavily on each surviving SPARTAN candidate... Nay, on each SPARTAN. Chief Petty Officer Mendez inhaled, then called out "TRAINEES! ATTEN-TION!"

They all clicked their boots together and saluted. Mendez nodded to them, saluted back and said "At ease..." arranging his own dress uniform of the Marine Corps. He looked to all of them, then said, his voice stern, yet calm, with a sobering tone "Today is both a day of celebration... And a day of mourning. For today, 75 soldiers went out into the greatest challenge of their young lives and sadly, many did not return. Those who died on the Operating Table, all died fully knowing the risks of what was coming to them. Even though the threat of death was so high, they marched on proudly alongside you, into the Crucible. Let us remember them today and honor them as the few who still can fight and fight proudly, to prove that our Project was not a failure... And that they did not die in vain. PRESENT ARM! PLAY!"

The somber sound of bagpipes flooded the room from the side, three pipers playing _Amazing Grace_ beside the Spartan survivors and Washouts. Everyone kept their eyes forward, out of the main window with straight faces, unbetraying of emotion, as the pods were jettisoned. 30 Pods containing comrades of theirs, brothers and sisters whom they'd trained, studied, fought, laughed and cried by during these seven bloody years of being broken and reforged into a unit of Elite troops. Casualties of war always came, but not like this. Everyone took their caps and hats off and placed them over the left side of their chests as the Pods floated away into the inky blackness of space... And brought once more a unified salute from all members present as the caskets left sight of the ship.

And the death toll would only rise from now...


End file.
